Hello, My 24yr old son is waiting to get results of echo that he had done privately last Friday. He self referred as he isnt getting answers via NHS . They will email the report to him and his GP, does anyone know if the report comments on whether the Echo is normal , or does it just state a lot of measurements? He is getting very anxious that there is something wrong, I would have thought if there is maybe they would ring him and not just email. Any thoughts anyone ?
Echocardiogram: Hello, My 24yr old son... - British Heart Fou...
Echocardiogram
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Halofan1
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In my experience, reports always have a summary of the findings. Also in my experience of there was anything needing immediate attention they would contact him pretty quickly.
hi
I’ve had a mix of both .
One was a detailed list of heart “bits” with measurements and a one or two sentence indicating the outcome of those measurements but no overall opinion / summary. That was NHS.
One an exercise stress echo had a summary / conclusion and a few particular areas at the top with lots of pages of ecg graphs attached. But no structural measurements per the echo done pre and post exercise. That was private. I only had test but reverted back to my nhs cardiologist but for convenience and speed I went to his private practice for test.
Whist the private one served its purpose re how heart reacted to exertion, I found the NHS one more informative regards structure of heart. It was interpreted by my current cardiologist as showing mild LVH - as mild just noted in letter.
Have you got a consultation booked to discuss result (which costs extra if not included)?
That’s where you should get an explanation of what it showed - of course there is a cost but your son can then get a proper understanding/ ask questions.
I’d get the report first so you see what consultant sees. They should be pretty quick in sending results. But it was only last Friday?
It’s difficult not to worry perhaps contact clinic and ask what timescales are for getting result / having consultation then that sometimes helps with managing the wait.
Good luck.
👍
Thanks Fanfab1 , thats very helpful information. I will wait to see the report before contacting them for consultation. Please god all will be normal. Anything to do with heart or chest pain is frightening, its really affecting his mental wellbeing.
Much love
Good advice. Contact the clinic and ask for an update on when the report will be issued, especially since it a service that has been paid for. My experience of dealing with private medicine is that reports are issued very quickly..
Hi Halifan1, sorry your son is not getting anywhere with the NHS. After my echo, the consultant saw me within 5 mins as it was bad news, so I'm certain had there been a serious problem with your son's results someone would have made contact. Please try not to worry too much, not easy I know. Please let us know how everything goes. Take care 🫂
Thankyou so much for your reassuring words. He hasn't heard anything today so I am hopeful that indicates nothing serious. He had slightly raised troponin levels last September and A&E discharged him with no real diagnosis , suggested panic attack ! We encouraged him to have a consultation privately as we were getting no answers from GP etc. cardiologist said an MRI would be useful ( its expensive !) I sorted a private echo in the mean time while we wait for MRI on NHS. I feel despondent as he is a young lad and no one is reassuring him.
Thanks for listening , much love x
Good luck to your son it’s sad that he has had to do this privately
I did same as waited so long for NHS appointments paid for MRI private stress test private consultations private then found I needed angioplasty all while waiting for NHS appointment went in for angioplasty but they couldn’t do it arteries worse than they thought so waiting for CABG I worked all my life until I was 69 and paid into a private pension which I have spent on health issues after 8 months post heart attack got call on a Friday at 5 pm to come and see cardiologist on Monday on NHS !! Still went to the appointment they couldn’t even do an ECG as machine broke he just listened to my story as above and not interested
Your son is young I hope all goes well for him he is in my prayers
Thankyou for your reply. It is deeply sad about the services the NHS are trying to provide and the ever lengthening waiting lists.
My lovely son has a little spring in his step this morning, its wonderful to see the weight of worry lifted . Wishing you the best of luck with your CABG
Much love
Forgive me for not asking you about your own health, my son situation has taken over all of my thoughts till this is resolved . Sorry to hear yours was bad news. I hope things have improved for you since then
Much love
An echo revealed severe heart failure with an ejection fraction of 25% and a pacemaker was advised. During this procedure the 3rd lead pierced my heart, the implant was halted and OHS was performed to pull out the lead and repair the hole. It was so traumatic I can't get myself into the theatre again for another attempt but I'm on marvellous meds, keep active and feel really well. No one can tell me at what rate my heart will deteriorate, I could go on for years. My attitude is 'you only die once but you live everday'. Anyone reading this should not be put off having an implant as there is only a 1% chance of it going wrong. Take care xx
Goodness me you have been through it and then some. What a wonderful attitude to life and living it. You are inspirational. Thankyou for your thoughts, I hope your health continues to improve
Much love
Please keep me updated on your son's situation, and try not to worry too much. Sending positive thoughts xx
Hi PinkKizzie, he has just had the report emailed, the conclusion part says :
Conclusion
ECG: Sinus rhythm, ~89 bpm
1. Normal biventricular chamber size and systolic function visually. Estimated ejection fraction 55-60%.
2. Normal valvular function.
Normal LVEF
Do i need to be bothered about all the numbers. It appears to be great news.
Thankyou for your help
Much love
Good morning, this is great news and with an EF of 55 - 60 which is about normal is fantastic, you both must be so relieved. Thank you for the anticipated update and wish you both well going forward. Take care xx🫂🫂
Thankyou so much, i am not going to lie, i shed at tear of relief when i read that conclusion. Just waiting for GP to confirm everything now.
Much love and take care
Thankyou again xx
This forum is excellent, it makes you realise you are not alone, and everyone is helpful. xx
I agree with PinkKizzie, that is a very positive report. In addition to his EF being normal, the ECG: sinus rhythm 89, means his heart is in rhythm, it's beating normally with no irregular rhythms. His HR is 89 beats a minute. A normal HR is between 60 & 100 so there doesn't seem to be anything of concern there, though obviously we don't know the overall health of your son.
I hope you hear from your GP soon, but he/she may not consider it a priority to contact you as the results seem favourable, so I would contact the surgery myself.
Thankyou so much for your reply. I am very relieved , just spoke to BHF cardiac nurse who was reassuring . Will now book GP with more confidence and less fear. This forum helped me through a difficult night and morning. Bless you all. My beautiful son can relax and enjoy the news
Much love xx
As a first step I suggest you go through the results with the BHF Heart Helpline nurse who should be able to interpret them for you. You can then follow up with the GP as required.
bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
Thankyou, i didnt know that i could do that. I will give it a try
Much love
That's absolutely perfect. Nothing wrong with the heart at all. His pulse is fairly fast but ok , which would certainly be caused by his anxiety when having the test . 89 is my normal resting heart rate but I'm 76 with heart disease. Troponin can be slightly raised because of anxiety like a panic attack. It does sound as if your son now needs to address his anxiety first.
Thankyou, its very reassuring to hear from all on this forum. This has been a long road for him which started with quinzy and being very ill and treated with 17days of clarythromicin . A few weeks later , Gp receptionist told him his blood count wasnt normal , he couldnt get to speak to a doctor and i think google filled the gap . Please god now he can get some peace of mind and live life without fear
Much love
I am not sure that this correct?
"Troponin can be slightly raised because of anxiety like a panic attack."
Troponin is a protein released by a heart muscle when it is damaged or bruised. This can be due to a lack of blood supply to the heart myocardial ischaemia or inflammation or infection.
I bow to your knowledge. That was just what I'd understood from my GP about very small rises.
I hope it doesn't reflect the unconscious bias some healthcare professionals have about women and heart disease?
Too many women are told they are anxious or having a panic attack rather than a heart attack.
I hope you are keeping well.
No definitely not- not from that GP. After we had words quite some years ago, LOL, he would never show that kind of bias again.
I'm ok thanks for asking. Spine is getting much worse and shoulders have now joined in but heart went back to normal rhythm after 3 days thank goodness.
I have only had Echocardiogram via the NHS. They can a few days/weeks to get results typed and discussed. I have my echocardiogram results briefly explained to me during my appointment but a follow up letter weeks later.
I would like to think they would have discussed the results with your Son on the day.
Hi, usually they sit down with you and explain what they’ve seen at the time of the scan.
I know when I’ve paid privately for cardiac MRI or Echocardiogram it’s been discussed at the time with me by a cardiologist and a report then sent via email to myself and GP.
They will or should say what they have found during the scan and if anything further such as referral to a cardiologist is required. Your son’s GP will probably want to discuss the scan with him even if it’s just to reassure. I hope all is well.
Hope this helps.
Normally when tests are carried out like this there may be a delay in the results, not to worry, this because they have to be doubly sure about their response.
I waited 8 months on NHS had mine done last week, it was an experience i would not repeat as sent me into an AF attack badly with h.rate very high for a very long time,and i then had to travel home the 1 and half hours on the bus. but very thorough, i do have private care, but find NHS for some things is far more infomative,
We all have to wait patiently and not let our minds take over, No point, worrying will always make anything worse. We are all in the same boat when t comes to heart issues. I am 77 now i find with age, i am becoming more in acceptance of we dont go on forever and to hope always for the best.
I had an echo on 29/4/24 and a telephone consultation is booked for 30/5/24 with a consultant.However I have access to my medical records online and a report to my doctor revealed three issues regarding valves etc but the word MINOR was present on all of them.Although I feel waiting a month for results is inhumane I did believe anything really serious would have warranted immediate contact.Very pleased your son is ok and both of you take care .
l am so pleased you have good results. It is so debilitating waiting for results and always makes me quite poorly. Do you mind if l ask you a personal question? How much did the private echo cost? I am thinking of doing that myself as my Dr. won’t refer unless a blood test comes back positive. It is several years since l had my last echo and l feel l should be checked again. Thank you.
It cost £250 and he waited 8 days for the appt. I had one last year and it cost me £400 at a different hospital. So it pays to shop around. I just googled private echocardiogram , with self referral. Best of luck
Much love
Thank you so much. I will shop around as you say. It is worrying the lack of care these days and having to resort to this. I don’t know about you, but l don’t trust my GP anymore and l always did. It seems we are on our own. Your son must be feeling much better. The results were very good. Take care and many thanks.
Hi, I agree with you that I used to have the utmost faith in my GP. Now mostly I dont know who I am getting, they dont appear to read the notes and i dont like having a different one every time. It is so sad to see whats happening to the NHS. Tbh my heart aches for those working in it, the stress must be awful !! Good luck with your Echo and thanks for your well wishes
Much love
They will list the things that are concerning and normal.
if his Gp referred him for the echo then he should make an appointment now to see his GP to go through the results with him rather than try to decipher them himself.
Thankyou for your reply, you are right of course. He managed to get an appt ( telephone) for 3weeks time. No faith left in NHS at all and tbh i am silently livid that the NHS service is now so very poor. It will be a 5 min or less phonecall ! I am not surprised that people go to A&E .
Much love
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